Datuk Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hj. Su‘aidi Dato’ Hj. Safei
Malaysian
have various types of traditional clothes which in numerous shapes, and colors. For example, ‘tengkolok bulu burung’ and ‘baju kulit kayu’ until antique royal clothes.
These
traditional clothes are usually worn in the important events as the symbolic of all the races in Malaysia.
ď ś
Traditional Malay attire for men is the baju melayu, a loose tunic which is worn over trousers and usually accompanied
with
a
short
sarong
called
a sampin which is wrapped around the hips. It is also often accompanied with a songkok or cap or
tanjak. ď ś
Malay women wear the baju kurung, a knee-length
blouse worn over a long skirt. The blouse is longsleeved and collarless, while the skirt, called a kain, has pleats on one side. ď ś
Another popular traditional costume is the kebaya, a more tight-fitting two-piece dress. This is often
considered less formal. It is worn by the female flight attendants of Malaysia Airlines
ď ś These Malay traditional costumes are usually worn during Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Raya Haji, wedding occasions and sometimes visits to relatives. It can also be worn at any time of the day.
Baju kurung was introduced after Islam came to Malaya at the 20 century. Baju kurung is loose clothes and covers the body which is suitable for the Muslim women. It is more suitable with the teachings of Islam as it is not exposing the whole body except for the palms & face. Baju kurung can be suited with ‘songket’ or ‘batik’, or even ‘pelikat’. Usually, wear with ‘kain selendang’ or scarf. A headscarf is sometimes worn with this. Nowadays, baju kurung can be found in different styles. These clothes are being tailored so that they suit the person wearing it. Among baju kurung that have been tailored are baju kurung labuh, baju kurung moden, baju kurung cekak, baju kurung Kedah and etc.
Baju melayu consists of two types which baju melayu teluk belanga and baju melayu cekak musang collar. Baju Melayu are worn by Malay men. It is worn especially for the Friday prayers. It is also worn for wedding ceremonies & other occasions. It can be matched with the seluar (trousers), or can also be worn with kain pelikat. Baju melayu can be seen worn during wedding ceremonies & also Hari Raya. It is also worn with samping which tied in waist.
The
word Batik is Javanese in origin, which means to write. It refers from clothes that have a light patterns and interesting. The
types of batik such as ‘batik tulis/canting’ (written), ‘batik skrin’, ‘batik celup’ (tie dye), and ‘batik terap/cap’ (copper block stamp). Batik
is one technique that has art value and will be half of world culture especially in the Malay world. Nowadays,
batik has the latest digital pattern, but the traditional batik is still produced.
Songket is a type of embroidery cloth with gold or silver thread. The term songket comes from the Malay verb ‘menyongket‘ which means to embroider with gold or silver threads’.
In historical nobility, the Royal kinship and the important person in the country always wear songket. It shows the rank of person & the place of the person in the country. This songket is wellknown in Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Songket has high historical value as a heritage fabric quality. It can lift up the prestige the person who wears it with a motif & color of loom as the symbol of the person prestige.
Songket is a fabric that belongs to the
brocade family of textiles. It is hand-woven in silk or cotton & intricately patterned with gold or silver threads. The metallic threads
stand out against the background cloth to create a shimmering effect.
Songket is a luxury product traditionally
worn during ceremonial occasions as sarong, shoulder cloths or head ties.
Tanjak or headdress songket is worn at the
courts of the Malay Sultanates.
Traditionally women & adolescent girls are weavers of songket, however nowadays men are also known to weave it as well.
Cheongsam (Qi Pao): Originated from the Manchu female clothes, it evolved by merging with western patterns that show off the beauty of a female body. Its features are straight collar, strain on the waist, coiled buttons and slits on both sides of the dress. Materials used are usually silk, cotton and linen. Cheongsam is the most popular Chinese attire in the world today. The original qipao was wide and loose. It covered most of the woman's body, revealing only the head, hands, and the tips of the toes. The baggy nature of the clothing also served to conceal the figure of the wearer regardless of age. With time, though, the qipao were tailored to become more form fitting and revealing. In Hong Kong, cheongsam may refer to either male or female garments. The word qipao is more formal term for the female cheongsam.
ď ś People eagerly sought a more modernized style of dress and transformed the old qipao to suit their tastes. Slender and form fitting with a high cut, it had great differences from the traditional qipao. It was highclass courtesans and celebrities in the city that would make these redesigned tight fitting qipao popular at that time.
Chinese Suit (TangZhuang) is a combination of the Manchu male jacket of the Qing Dynasty & the western style suit. It is usually straight collared, with coiled buttons down the front. Its color & design are in traditional Chinese style but tailoring is western. Tang suit is the main form of formal dress for men on many occasions. In modern times it has been adopted by many ordinary people. They are often worn by men, although women wear them as well. Tangzhuang is made in different colors; red, navy, gold, black & green.
Sari (female garment) is a strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four to nine meters in length, that is draped over the body in various styles. The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with one end then draped over the shoulder baring the midriff. It is usually worn over a petticoat. Blouse may be "backless" or of a halter neck style. These are usually more dressy with a lot of embellishments like embroidery & may be worn on special occasions. Teenage girls wear half-sari, a 3 piece set consisting of a langa, a choli & a stole wrapped over it like a sari. Women usually wear full sarees. Indian wedding saris are typically red, a tradition that goes back to India's pre-modern history.
Sherwani is a long coat/jacket that usually sports exposed buttons through the length of the jacket (below the knee). The jacket has a collar that stands up. It is worn with tight fitting pants or trousers called churidars. Churidars are trousers that are loose around the hips and thighs, but are tight and gathered around the ankle. Sherwani is usually worn during the wedding ceremonies by the groom and is usually cream, light ivory, or gold coloured. A scarf called a dupatta is sometimes added to the sherwani. Dhoti is from 4 to 6 feet long white or colour strip of cotton. This traditional attire is mainly worn by men in villages. It is held in place by a style of wrapping & a belt, ornamental and embroidered or a flat & simple one, around the waist. Men also wear long, white sarong like sheets of cloth known as Mundu. Over the dhoti, men wear shirts.
ď ś There are many tribe and races live in the Malaysian state of Sabah of North Borneo. The famous tribe in Sabah is the Dusun. Although the Kadazan usually take all the credit but actually the most successful races in Sabah is Dusun. ď ś Due to similarities in culture & language with the Kadazan ethnic group, a new unified term called "Kadazan-Dusun" was created. Collectively, they form the largest indigenous ethnic group in Sabah.
ď ś Traditional Kadazan costume; man wearing 'gaung' top, 'souva' trousers, 'toogot' waistband and 'siga' headgear. Maiden in short 'sinuangga' blouse, 'tapi' skirt, batik shawl and 'himpogot' belt. ď ś Tangkong, the hip belt worn by Kadazandusun females in their traditional costumes can be very expensive in price. It is in a set of 3. Each belt consists of about 84 to 98 brass rings & one shell disk strung together by rattan.
ď ś Sarawak has 38 different ethnics living in it with awesome looking handmade traditional clothes. These clothes are of course wear during festivals and celebration of each tribe or ethnic. ď ś Dayak, the main ethnic in Sarawak (including Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu) traditional clothes like Ngepan Iban for women and men traditional clothes are known as Baju Burung & Sirat. They consist of a lot more parts such as Sugu tinggi, marik empang/ tangu, kain kebat, tumpa, gelang, selampai, rawai for the women's and also baju gagung, gelang, ketapu, and etc.
Baba
Nyonyas are subgroup Chinese immigrant
community in the straits land, especially Malacca. The
community
called
themselves
“Baba
Nyonya” because they retained most of their
ethnic and religious heritage/origins (such as ancestor
worshiper),
but
assimilated
the
language and culture of the Malays.
The socio culture were absorbed in the past
which have mix marriage between Chinese and
Malay so it is why the next generation called them Baba Nyonya.
The traditional cloth for Nyonya is Kebaya Nyonya or Short Kebaya. Usually Short Kebaya always wear with sarong. Sometimes, there some Nyonya wear with Chaylay Sarong to more elegant.
Design of the embroidery on Short Kebaya or Kebaya Nyonya like insects, animals, birds & musical instruments. Nyonya also wear is beaded slippers called Kasut Manek were a hand-made made much skills & patent. Baba traditional cloth it had multi-pockets jacket with a high mandarin collar with gold stud any ivory buttons worn with baggy wrap around pants and a topper hat.